The following background description of the present invention is not the prior art.
Cooling systems are necessary in vehicles with engines because the efficiency of the engines is limited. This limited efficiency means that not all the heat generated in the engines is converted into mechanical energy. The surplus generated heat must be conducted away from the engine in an efficient manner. Cooling systems for vehicles often utilize cooling fluid that is primarily comprised of a cooling medium, and typically contains water and an antifreeze, such as glycol, and/or an anti-corrosion agent.
FIG. 1 schematically depicts an engine 200 and a cooling system 400 in a vehicle 500. The cooling fluid can be circulated in the cooling system, in which the engine 200 and a radiator 100 are included in a cooling fluid loop. The surplus heat is transported via the loop from the engine 200 to the radiator 100. In the radiator 100 the heat is transferred from the primary cooling medium, cooling fluid, to the secondary cooling medium, air. The thick arrows 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156 in FIG. 1 indicate lines in which the cooling fluid is transported. The thin arrows illustrate connections 131, 132, 133, 134 between the cooling system and a control unit 300. The hollow arrows 161, 162, 163 illustrate the airflows, which are described below.
The cooling fluid thus passes through the engine 200 and is heated there by the surplus heat when the engine is hot. The cooling fluid 152 heated by the engine may also pass through one or a plurality of additional heat-generating components 210, such as a retarder brake, an exhaust recirculation device, a turbocharger, a dual turbocharger, a transmission, a compressor for a brake system, a device containing exhaust from the engine 200, a post-processing device for exhaust, an air-conditioning system or any other heat-generating component. All of these possible additional heat-generating components are depicted in FIG. 1 as a component 210 in series with the engine 200 along the cooling fluid line. However, the component 210 can be arranged as a number of different components, which can also be connected in series and/or in parallel with the engine 200 in the cooling fluid loop.
The cooling fluid is further heated by the one or a plurality of additional heat-generating components 210 before being transported further 153 to a thermostat 120. The thermostat 120 controls the flow Q of cooling fluid through the radiator 100. The thermostat 120 can be controlled 132 by a control unit 300. The thermostat guides, when appropriate, hot cooling fluid 154 to the radiator 100 and, when appropriate, cooling fluid past 155 the radiator 100 and supplies it to the cooling fluid line 156 leading from the radiator. The cooling fluid flows through the radiator 100 due to its circulation in the cooling fluid loop, which can be generated by means of a circulating pump 110. The radiator 100 is a heat exchanger, in which the ambient air, which is often forced through the radiator 100 by the headwind 161, 162, cools hot cooling fluid 154 as it passes through the radiator 100. The temperature of the cooling fluid is thereby reduced before it leaves the radiator 156 and continues 151 via a circulating pump 110 to the engine 200 to cool the engine and/or additional components 210, whereupon the cooling fluid becomes hotter again and begins its next circulation.
The cooling system thus often comprises a circulating pump 110, which drives the circulation of the cooling fluid in the cooling system. The pump 110 can be controlled 131 by a control unit 300 based, for example, on a current engine rpm, or on other suitable parameters. The cooling fluid is pumped 151 further to the engine 200. The cooling system 400 also often comprises a fan 130, which can be driven by a fan motor (not shown), or by the engine 200, sometimes via the circulating pump 110. In FIG. 1 the fan 130 is drawn schematically in front of the radiator 100, i.e. upstream of the radiator as viewed in the direction of flow of the airflow. However, the fan 130 can also be disposed behind the radiator 100, i.e. downstream of the radiator 100. The fan 130 creates an airflow 163, which helps to push/draw the air through the radiator 100 in order to increase the efficiency of the radiator 100. The fan can be controlled 133 by a control unit 300. The cooling system 400 can also comprise one or a plurality of radiator blinds or louvers 140, which can be opened entirely or partly in order to control the flow of ambient air/headwind 162 that reaches the radiator 100. The one or a plurality of radiator blinds 140 can be controlled 134 by the control unit 300. The efficiency of the radiator 100 can thus, in addition to control by means of the circulating pump 110, also be controlled by opening or closing one or a plurality of radiator blinds 140 and/or by utilizing the fan 130.
Controlling a cooling system based on positioning information and a prediction of upcoming cooling needs with the intention of reducing fuel consumption in a vehicle that contains the cooling system is known, e.g. via US2007/0261648.